PADS Dragon Boat team bags 4 gold medals in Florida competition
PADS team has a group photo with the IDBF Club Crew Organizers after winning their fourth gold medal. | Photo from PADS Facebook Page
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Philippine Accessible Disability Services, Inc. (PADS) Dragon Boat Team finished the prestigious International Dragon Boat Federation’s (IDBF) 13th Club Crew World Championships in Sarasota, Florida with a historic feat after winning four gold medals in total.
PADS initially ruled the small boat (SB) Paradragon (PD)-1 Open category, the SB/PD2 200-meter race, and the SB/PD-2 2,000m race last week to clinch three gold medals and capped it off with another gold medal when they ruled the 500-meter race of the Small Boat-Para Dragon 2 category on Saturday, July 23, (July 24, Sunday, Manila Time).
The PADS dragon boat team clocked in two minutes and 19.015 seconds to clinch the gold medal in the Small Boat-Para Dragon 2 category. The bested Z99 Para Fusion which finished second at 2:28.840, and Z99 Para United at third with 2:29.548.
That makes it a total of four gold medals for PADS in their week-long campaign in one of the world’s biggest dragon boat competitions.
In addition to their four gold medals, PADS also served as the first Filipino and first Asian para dragon boat team to compete in the Club Crew World Championships’ para dragon boat category.
Also, they are considered as pioneers in the Club Crew World Championships’ para dragon boat category since IDBF just added the category in this year’s edition.
The category was intended for para dragon boat teams that fields in persons with disabilities and persons with impairment such as PADS.
It was also a sweet victory for the Cebuano paddlers who almost didn’t make it to the competition due to the lack of funds.
It was best remembered that the team had to appeal to the public and the government for financial support so they can fly to Sarasota, Florida and represent the country in the competition.
In the end, PADS delivered and didn’t disappoint everyone with their historic feat.
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